Books

Richard Moore has published seven books, all available from Amazon.co.uk by clicking on the book cover. To inquire about signed copies please contact Richard Moore at richardbmoore(at)btinternet.com

Étape: The untold stories of the Tour de France’s defining stages

Étape is the result of a simple idea: to tell the stories of selected stages of the Tour de France through the recollections of the protagonists. I wanted to capture and convey the mystery, beauty and madness of the great race. But new interviews were key; I didn’t want to recycle already published and in some cases familiar stories. And so I sought out the heroes and villains, the stars, journeymen and one-hit wonders. I spoke to two five-time Tour winners, a three-time winner, a one-time winner, and a former seven-time winner.

The featured stages are personal favourites, drawn mainly from the Tours I have watched since my first glimpse on television in 1984. But I couldn’t resist others that piqued my interest: a trilogy of remarkable stages involving Eddy Merckx and Luis Ocaña in 1971; a curious win by José Luis Viejo in 1976, which I had read about in an out-of-print cycling book; any one of the sixteen stages won by one of the sport’s most endearing figures, Freddy Maertens, in the course of his bizarre career.

Tour de France 100: A photographic history of cycling’s most iconic race

Tour de France 100 celebrates 110 years of the Tour and publishes in the run up to the 100th race.

It captures key visual moments in its history, including heroes of the race, great rivalries, moments of high drama, accidents and scandals, all accompanied by Richard Moore’s authoritative text that illuminates and expands upon the superb imagery.

Dave Brailsford has spearheaded the track cycling revolution in Britain, helping turn the nation into a superpower. He is also head of Team Sky and oversaw Bradley Wiggins’ victory at the 2012 Tour de France.

But who is the man behind the mask?

This is a portrait of one of the most enigmatic presences in world sport; an exploration of his background, a unique insight into the formation of his methodology and an analysis of how he has forged a new path in a sport riven with controversy.

Order your copy of Mastermind: How Dave Brailsford Re-invented the Wheel now from Amazon.co.uk

The Dirtiest Race In History: Ben Johnson, Carl Lewis and the 1988 Olympic 100m Final

The 1988 Seoul Olympics played host to what has been described by some as the dirtiest race of all time, by others as the greatest.

The final of the men’s 100 metres at those Olympics is certainly the most infamous in the history of athletics, and more indelibly etched into the consciousness of the sport, the Olympics, and a global audience of millions, than any other athletics event before or since.

Ben Johnson’s world-record time of 9.79 seconds – as thrilling as it was – was the beginning rather than the end of the story. Following the race, Johnson tested positive, news that generated as many – if not more – shockwaves as his fastest ever run. He was stripped of the title, with Lewis awarded the gold medal, Linford Christie the silver and Calvin Smith the bronze.

More than two decades on, the story still hadn’t ended. In 1999 Lewis was named Sportsman of the Century by the IOC, and Olympian of the Century by Sports Illustrated. Yet his reputation was damaged by revelations that he too used performance-enhancing drugs, and tested positive prior to the Seoul Olympics. Christie also tested positive in Seoul but his explanation, that the banned substance had been in ginseng tea, was accepted.

Smith, now a social worker in Florida, was the only athlete in the top five whose reputation remains unblemished. Containing remarkable new revelations, this book uses witness interviews – with Johnson, Lewis and Smith among others – to reconstruct the build-up to the race, the race itself, and the fallout when news of Johnson’s positive test broke and he was forced into hiding. It also examines the rivalry of the two favourites going into it, and puts the race in a historical context, examining its continuing relevance on the sport today, where every new record elicits scepticism.

Slaying the Badger: LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour de France

The Tour de France is renowned for its chaos and drama. But no other Tour has quite compared to what played out in 1986. That year witnessed a show-stopping rivalry that had spectators across the world agog.

Greg LeMond , a fresh-faced and mercurial youngster, dubbed ‘L’Américain’, was a naïve Tour newbie. Frenchman Bernard ‘The Badger’ Hinault was five times winner and as tough as old boots.

Though polar opposites, they were both fiercely competitive, both equally brilliant. So why was the world shocked that they were at each other’s throats? They were meant to be team-mates.

Their explosive rivalry broke every rule in the book. No one wins the Tour single-handed; out there your team counts for everything. After his previous year’s win Hinault had pledged his absolute support for LeMond, but as 1986 the Tour circled France, his constant attacks on his team-mate seemed like cold-blooded sabotage.

Why was Hinault putting LeMond in jeopardy? Would he crack under the pressure? Something sinister was going on, but no one knew quite what.

Slaying the Badger relives the adrenaline, the agony, the camaraderie, the betrayals, and the pure exhilaration of that epic year, as the biggest conundrum of Tour history is finally laid bare.

Slaying the Badger, published May 26 2011, order your copy now from Amazon.co.uk

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Sky’s the Limit: British Cycling’s Quest to Conquer the Tour de France

‘This is new. It’s something people haven’t seen before. We’re setting out to create an epic story – an epic British success story. Now it’s down to business: to find out what it’s going to take to win the Tour de France with a clean British rider.’ Dave Brailsford

Brailsford is the mastermind behind the phenomenal success of the British track cycling team which dominated the Beijing Olympics in 2008, winning seven gold medals. But road cycling is a very different ball game. It has the lion’s share of the sport’s history and legends; it has the bulk of the fans, television and media interest; and it has, far and away, the biggest pot of money.

It is a sport that is rooted in mainland Europe – a land that is, in so many literal, metaphorical and cultural ways, foreign to Great Britain. British victories in the Tour can be counted on the fingers of a mitten. The closest anyone has ever come is Robert Millar and Bradley Wiggins, who were fourth in 1984 and 2009 respectively, but no Briton has seriously challenged for the maillot jaune – the yellow jersey of overall winner.

Sky’s the Limit follows the gestation and birth of a brand new road racing team, which is the first British team to compete in the Tour de France since 1987. Team Sky, as it is known, since it is to be backed by the satellite broadcaster Sky, set out on the road to Tour de France glory in January 2010.

With exclusive behind-the-scenes access and interviews, Sky’s the Limit will follow the management and riders as they embark on their journey – witnessing their first training camp and team presentation in December 2009, their debut at the Tour Down Under in January 2010, and their debut at the Tour de France in July 2010 – and as they then set out to write their ‘epic story’.

Sky’s The Limit, published June 9 2011, order your copy now from Amazon.co.uk

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In Search of Robert Millar: Unravelling the Mystery Surrounding Britain’s Most Successful Tour De France Cyclist

Robert Millar came from one of Europe′s most industrialised cities, Glasgow, to excel in the most unlikely terrain – over the high mountain passes of the Pyrenees and the Alps. He was crowned King of the Mountains during the 1984 Tour de France and remains the only ever Briton to finish on the podium of the world′s toughest race.

In attitude and appearance he was unconventional – the malnourished-looking young Scot with the tiny stud in his ear who could be prickly, irascible and unapproachable – but to many followers he was the epitome of cool. Flying the flag for British cycling, this one-off original became a cult hero.

In Search of Robert Millar follows the career of this other-worldly character, from his tough childhood in Glasgow in the 1960s to his move to France and success in the world′s most brutal and unforgiving races, including the controversy surrounding his positive drugs test and his enforced retirement from the sport at the age of 36.

It examines what set Millar apart from all other British cyclists who tried, and failed, to make an impact in this most European of sports, describing his single-mindedness, his eccentricity and the humour and intelligence that emerged only towards the end of his career.

It also proffers explanations for his subsequent disappearance, which repeated a familiar pattern: he vanished from Glasgow and never returned; he left his wife and son and his adopted country, France. Now, it appears, he has turned his back on cycling and vanished – but why?

Through interviews with Millar′s friends, acquaintances, cycling colleagues and ex-classmates, Richard Moore helps to unravel the mystery of this maverick Scotsman, arguably one of the greatest enigmas in a sport full of remarkable characters.

Heroes, Villains & Velodromes tells the story of British Cycling’s transformation from also-rans to world-beaters, mainly through one of the main players in this revolution – Chris Hoy.

It is also the story of an extraordinary year in the life of an extraordinary sportsman, one which started with his best-ever world championships in Mallorca – where, for the first time in his career, Hoy became a double world champion – and continued with his attempt on the world kilometre record in La Paz, Bolivia, before returning to training at the world-class Manchester velodrome in the buildup to the 2008 Olympics, and finishing with his historic three gold medals in Beijing.

By shadowing Hoy through a season with the British track cycling team, Richard Moore has gained an unembellished insight into the life of a multiple world and Olympic champion. He has also attained unprecedented levels of access to the key members of the all-conquering British team and support staff, including top coaches, world-renowned psychiatrists, doctors (where the subject of drug abuse is an ever-present shadow) and the pivotal characters behind the scenes.

Richard Moore is a participant in the Amazon Europe S.à r.l. Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk